Death Certificate: John Travolta's Son Died of a Seizure

Jan. 5, 2009

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"Someone will give readings from [Scientology founder] L. Ron Hubbard, including possibly a eulogy. It will be difficult for Scientologists to talk about a young man's life. It's likely they'll talk more about his parents' love for him," he said. "Scientologists are flexible about whether the body or ashes must be present at the funeral. There can even just be a picture of the person. Certainly, non-Scientologists can come to the funeral."

"A Scientology funeral is likely to emphasize the movement of the thetan from attachment to this body to attachment to another body," Kent added. "The hope is that the thetan will come back in better times, with a better body, with a better spiritual nature."

Kent said he would expect Tom Cruise; Cruise's wife, Katie Holmes; and other members of Hollywood's elite Scientology contingent to attend. After the funeral, it's likely the organization will ask Travolta, his family and Jett's caretakers to undergo evaluations to banish any ill feelings about the tragedy.

Jett's Untimely Death

A house caretaker found the teenager unconscious in the bathroom Friday morning, police said.

"A nanny attempted to revive him. All attempts were made, but he couldn't be revived," John Travolta's attorney Michael Ossi, who is also in the Bahamas, told ABCNews.com Friday. "They tried as hard as they could to revive Jett."

An ambulance took him to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The family, including Jett Travolta's 8-year-old sister, Ella, had been celebrating the New Year in the Bahamas.

Ossi said the teenager "has had seizures in the past, but they were controlled. This one couldn't be."

Royal Bahamas Police Force spokeswoman Loretta Mackey told the AP that Jett Travolta died from hitting his head on a bathtub.

Wilchcombe told the AP he expects a "quick resolution" for the autopsy.

Possible Role of Kawasaki Syndrome

Jett Travolta's health made national news in 2002 when his mother disclosed that at age 2 he had a poorly understood condition called Kawasaki syndrome, a collection of symptoms that stem from swollen arteries.

Kawasaki syndrome primarily affects children younger than 5, though it can occur in older children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine out of 100,000 children have Kawasaki syndrome. The incidence is higher among Japanese and Korean children, though the syndrome can occur within any ethnicity.

Kawasaki syndrome expert Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said the syndrome, however, is not usually associated with deadly seizures -- especially in children who have already recovered from Kawasaki's, which he said is a temporary condition.

"If there's a major complication, and if someone dies from it, it is a [coronary] aneurysm," he said. "It doesn't happen frequently, but that is what we really worry about. ... That can set the kids up for a heart attack."

The New York Post and other media outlets have in the past published unconfirmed reports that John Travolta's son had autism, though the family has always maintained that he suffered from Kawasaki's. Autism is associated with seizures.